Hospital Stay After Labor

Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me: Rest Is Not For the Weary

In preparing a friend of mine for her first hospital childbirth experience, I warned her of the entourage that typically barrages a new mother — nurses in and out checking bleeding and other bodily fluids, taking temperatures, administering pain relief pills, and monitoring baby. In between the medical staff's necessary and appreciated visits, I was surprised by the other people who came a-knockin' on my door. When it wasn't the nurses, it was the birth certificate people, official hospital baby photographer, housekeeping, room service, and other visitors peeping in. Parents expecting to rest after an arduous labor may need to reevaluate their situation.

Baby number two, however, was a different story. Perhaps the photo people assumed a second-time mom wouldn't care to have her every move documented so they never showed up. It wasn't until weeks after leaving the hospital that we realized the birth certificate people also never bothered to swing by the room, so we ended up filing for it on our own. As for visitors, there were very few. If I had my druthers, I'd opt for the second round every time as it allowed us more bonding time with our son and more sleep for beat up mum.Source

No one told me about how often they'd be in there, and it was really obnoxious and hard for me. I'm not an easy sleeper and the vital checks every 15 minutes 24 hours a day, on top of all the other people coming in were really exhausting for me. I didnt get any sleep in the hospital, NONE, no exageration, becuase even when my husband put his foot down and said i was EXHAUSTED and needed to be left alone for an hour or two, they just wouldnt. I was in the hospital for 4 days, counting the entire day i was in labor, and came home without having slept any of it and was already frazzled and feeling really overwhelmed before id really even started! Getting home and getting to sleep that first day was amazing, 2 hour naps in between her feedings felt like the best vacation on earth.

Oh, and Lil, your story me of a funny story about my husband from when my daughter was born - After close to 24 hours of labor and 2+ hours of pushing, we were finally moved to our recovery room at about 3am. Lucky for my husband, there were two beds in there (the hospital was being renovated so we were in an overflow room). So, we get in and I'm shaky, hungry and just plain spent and in comes the nurse to give me a tetanus shot and have me sign a bunch of paperwork and wouldn't you know it, my husband laid his head down and was snoring in about 2 minutes flat!
I heard him talking to his brother about it the other day and I couldn't help but laugh out loud when he said that he was just "so exhausted!" "YOU were exhausted, hahaha!" Anyway, I still love to give him crap for it, even after two years :D.

LOL @ Lickety! Love it!
The constant visitations from every one and their mother is a big part of the reason I want to be in the hospital the least amount of time as possible this next time around (which is any day now AHHHH!!!!).

Ha! I have not had one full - really good night's sleep in 2 years, since before my little girl was born. My daughter is 18 months old. She sleeps through the night, but that does not mean I do - checking on her and every other little noise keeps me up at night.

This is so true — no one ever tells you how many people (and, I don't mean visiting family and friends) will come in and out of the room. I remember being so tired half the time, I'd apologize, ask my husband to listen to the nurse or official and then fall asleep only to wake up and see the same person or a new one babbling on at the foot of my bed. It was hilarious — straight from a movie. Did they really think I'd retain any of the information?